Fierro, a columnist for the Quito-based daily El Comercio, was sued
for criminal defamation by León Febres-Cordero, former president
of Ecuador. The lawsuit stemmed from a May 29 opinion piece Fierro wrote
for El Comercio titled "Febres-Cordero: en su sitio" (Febres-Cordero:
in his place), which accused the former president of colluding with other
politicians to commit high-level financial malfeasance.

Contending that Fierro's piece had damaged his family's and his own reputation,
Febres-Cordero, who is currently a parliamentary deputy for the Social Christian
Party, filed a criminal defamation lawsuit on June 2, requesting damages
of US$1 million and a two-year prison sentence for Fierro.

On September 19, Judge Luis Mora sentenced Fierro to six months in prison
and ordered him to pay legal costs of US$1,000 to Febres-Cordero's lawyer.
According to Fierro, Judge Mora also ordered him to pay damages in an amount
yet to be determined. On September 22, Fierro appealed his sentence. The
journalist remains free while he awaits a ruling from the Superior Court
of Justice in the capital, Quito.